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History · Golva

Golva dates to 1915, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1980 on and the census since 1950.

1915founded
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Golva began

When was Golva founded?

1915

Golva dates its founding to 1915 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 174 in 19502020 census: 84111 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1916.The full story ↓

What stands out about Golva’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Golva are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Golva’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Golva’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Golva came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Golva.

Read it all →

Golva is surrounded by Lone Tree Township. The homesteaders that arrived in the area between 1900 and 1910 found only one tree in the area. That tree was standing about one mile (1.6 km) east of modern-day Golva till it died around 1980. According to the Homestead Act, the homesteaders got 160 acres (0.65 km2) if they lived on the land for 7 years. In western North Dakota, they were also given another 160 acres (0.65 km2) if they planted trees on the land, so there are now trees around most farmsteads in the area. The last living homesteader from the Golva area, Mrs. George (Emma) Geary, died in 1978, still owning her homestead and the house on it, although she had left the homestead in 1958 after breaking her hip. The doctors told her, due to the seriousness of the break, she would be bedridden for the rest of her life. Being a true pioneer, she responded "The hell I will". She walked …

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Golva, 1915 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1915
    FoundingGolva is established
  3. 1916Post officeThe Golva post office opens
  4. 1980On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Golva, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Golva, North Dakota2008Golva, North DakotaGolva, North Dakota bar and post office2008Golva, North Dakota bar and post officeGolva, North Dakota bank2008Golva, North Dakota bank
On the map

Golva on the map, 1980 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Golva. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Golva on the 1980 USGS mapGolva on the 1997 USGS map1980Golva sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Golva.

People over time

Golva, census by census

01001960198020002020Peak: 174

Between 61 and 174 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Golva’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Golva

Nobody well known was born in Golva itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Irene LentzAmerican costume designer · b. 1900
B
Bill BowmanAmerican politician · b. 1946
Jack WestropeAmerican jockey · b. 1918
Shann SchillingerPlayer of American football · b. 1986
R
Red HardyAmerican baseball player · b. 1923
I
Isidore Charles NolletCanadian politician · b. 1898

Questions about Golva’s history

What year was Golva founded?

In 1915, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Golva’s post office opened in 1916, and the census of 1950 counted 174 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.